Playground Guide - 2017 - 17

protective surfacing; however, there can be no gap greater than .312 inches measured in any direction between the
platform and protective surfacing to eliminate crush and
shear concerns. There are many other requirements related
to the underside of any rigid rotating platform, but these
new requirement pertain primarily to the equipment designers and manufacturers. Unfortunately, some owners may
have installed some of the first prototypes of these rather
new types of rotating equipment that were not previously
covered by the ASTM F1487-11 and may no longer be in
compliance with these new requirements. Most of these requirements are also triggered by the diameter of the rotating
equipment's widest platform dimension.
Clearance between the underside of the platform and the
underlying playground surface has specific requirements based
on the following clearance situations and dimensions: Rigid
rotating platforms that are not flush to the protective surfacing
must be free from abrupt changes that are rigid and hang below
the overall thickness of the platform. The clearance between
the rotating equipment that is not flush and, therefore, raised
above protective surfacing has to be between 2.38 inches and
3.50 inches or greater than 9.0 inches above the underlying
surface unless a protective skirt is provided. When a protective skirt is provided, it must be smooth and continuous, and

tapered toward the axis of rotation to the identical clearance
previously mentioned. It's recommended that rotating equipment within or on top of rotating equipment have a 21-inch
clear area, free of rigid and nonrigid components, such as cables, netting and belting.
Vertical Rotating Equipment Use Zones
The use zone for equipment with a maximum radii dimension less than or equal to 20 inches shall be no less than 72
inches from the perimeter of the play structure. Overlapping
use zones are permissible if the adjacent fall height of each
structure is less than or equal to 30 inches above the protective
surface. If the adjacent fall height on either structure exceeds a
height of 30 inches, the minimum distance between structures
should be 108 inches.
The use zone for equipment with a maximum radii dimension greater than 20 inches which does not exceed speed limitation requirements shall be no less than 72 inches from the
perimeter of the play structure and shall not overlap any other
use zone. Rotating upper body equipment with a maximum
radii less than or equal to 20 inches is exempt from both the
ground clearance and speed limitation requirements. The use
zone for equipment with a maximum radii dimension greater than 20 inches and which exceeds the speed limitation

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Parks & Recreation

Playground Guide - 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Playground Guide - 2017